The Uganda National Mining Company (UNMC) is preparing to appoint interim leaders to oversee its operations following the interdiction of its Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary over three weeks ago.
Dr Lyoidah Kiconco, the Head of Exploration and New Ventures at the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), is expected to take over as Acting Chief Executive Officer, while Loyola Rwabose Karobwa, a Senior Legal Officer at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, is expected to serve as Acting Company Secretary.
Sources familiar with the arrangements said the proposed appointments had been agreed upon by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development and the UNMC Board. However, the company and the ministry have not yet officially announced the appointments or indicated when they will take effect.
Dr Kiconco is a petroleum geoscientist who previously worked at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and international oilfield services company Schlumberger. Karobwa is a mining lawyer attached to the ministry’s Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines and an Advocate of the Courts of Judicature.
The proposed changes follow a directive issued by the Inspectorate of Government on 22 October 2026, ordering the interdiction of UNMC Chief Executive Officer Dr Gerald Banaga-Baingi and Chief Corporate and Legal Affairs Officer and Company Secretary Lelia K. Bwambale.
The Inspectorate said the two officials were to step aside to allow investigations into allegations of maladministration, financial mismanagement and abuse of office. It also directed the UNMC Board Chairperson to put interim management arrangements in place to ensure the company continued operating normally and its corporate governance functions were not disrupted.
Dr Banaga-Baingi, a resource economist, joined UNMC as Acting Chief Executive Officer in January 2025 before becoming the substantive CEO on 1 May 2025. Before joining the company, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Technical Planning at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
Established under the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, UNMC is wholly owned by the government and is responsible for managing the state’s commercial interests in the mining industry. Its role includes overseeing government equity interests in medium and large-scale mining projects.
Neither Dr Banaga-Baingi nor Bwambale has been charged with an offence. Their interdiction is an administrative measure to facilitate investigations and does not amount to a finding of wrongdoing.
